An annotated and illustrated checklist of Microgastrinae wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Greenland

Abstract

The Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from ten islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) and Greenland were studied based on 2,183 specimens deposited in collections. We report a total of 33 species in six genera, more than doubling the totals previously known. Most of the species (75.7%) have a distribution restricted to the Nearctic, with nine of those (27.3%) confirmed to be High Arctic endemics and another 10 species considered very likely to be High Arctic endemics as well – accounting for all of those, more than half of all species found are endemic to the region. The most diverse genera were Cotesia (10 species), Glyptapanteles (9 species), and Microplitis (7 species), representing 78.8% of the overall species diversity in the region. The six most frequently collected species comprised 84.7% of all examined specimens. The flight period for Microgastrinae in the High Arctic encompasses only two months, with activity peaking during the first half of July, when almost 40% of all available specimens were collected, and then plummeting in the first half to the end of August. Microgastrinae wasps from the High Arctic are currently known to parasitize eight species within four families of Lepidoptera: three species of Noctuidae, two each of Lymantridae and Nymphalidae, and one species of Pterophoridae. However, that information is very preliminary, as only six of the 33 species of microgastrines currently have associated host data. An annotated checklist, including photographs for 24 of the 33 species, is provided, as well as a key to all Microgastrinae genera present in the region.